Exemption from the obligation to present a marriage certificate

Prerequisites

• You live in Germany
• They intend to get married
• They (the couple who want to marry) do not both have German citizenship
• The home country of the foreign spouse does not have a marriage certificate

Documents required

You must present all the documents that confirm the birth, singleness, previous marriages, if applicable, final divorce and current marital status.
The exact documents required depend on the individual case.

Please note

This service can only be considered in connection with the registration of a marriage with foreign participants.

Deadlines

If the Higher Regional Court has granted an "exemption", this applies for 6 months.

Procedure

• If, in the course of registering a marriage with foreign participants, you apply for an exemption from the need to provide a certificate of marriage eligibility from your home country, your registry office will help you with this.
• The registry office forwards the application to the competent higher regional court. Please contact the registry office at your place of residence.

Processing time

The processing time at the Hanseatic Higher Regional Court is usually between 4 and 6 weeks.

Fees

There are costs of 50.00 EUR to 300.00 EUR.

Legal remedies

no

Legal basis

• Section 1309 paragraph 2 of the German Civil Code (BGB)
  https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/bgb/__1309.html